


The Beauty of Friendship

by matrixrefugee



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 05:09:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14927732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matrixrefugee/pseuds/matrixrefugee
Summary: The Beast finds he's losing the heart he thought he lacked...





	The Beauty of Friendship

She has made my captivity bearable, just by being here. Those first few days after Belle came to my castle were awkward at best, as I accustomed myself to her quiet presence and she learned not to fear my formidable appearance. But I believe now, we are well on the way toward earning each other's trust.

Belle is much more than another being to talk to: I believe -- or perhaps I'm just hoping -- she is the first real friend I have had. When I am with her, during meals or walking in the gardens, I catch myself telling her things I have hardly dared to share with anyone, things I've hidden from myself, or which my servants know but do not dare to mention in my presence, for fear of angering me.

In turn, she tells me about herself, about her father and his work, about her mother, who passed away some years ago; or she reads aloud from the books she has read, bringing these old tales to life. I realize then I've been ignoring a whole world of image and metaphor. In some ways, I was a beast even before the fairy turned me into the hulking brute that I resemble now.

Perhaps this Belle who has captivated my attention and my thoughts, who fills my lonely days with her quietly spirited nature, is the one who can free me and my household from this spell...


End file.
